


Only Time

by HuntingHardyGirl



Category: Hardy Boys - Fandom, Nancy Drew - Fandom
Genre: Budding Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Romance, enjoy, just nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14859560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuntingHardyGirl/pseuds/HuntingHardyGirl
Summary: "Time together isn't never quite enough!When you and I are alone,I've never felt so at home!What will it take to make or break this hint of love?Only time, only time."-- Owl City,The Saltwater Room





	Only Time

She’s different.

It’s not like Frank had a lot of experience with dating. He was kind of hopeless in that regard. After he and Callie mutually broke things off, he kept to himself more often than not, comforted by his books, distracted by his mysteries. Any time he tried to establish a connection with anyone in between, he got the rug pulled out from under his feet, and he learned, rather quickly, that maybe love wasn’t something he was going to get any time soon.

Until Bess.

Meeting Nancy had been awkward enough, and it took some time for them to even learn how to get along with each other, far too alike in mentality, far too different personality wise. But eventually, they established their own bond with each other, and Frank was lucky to consider her a dear friend. Bess and George and Ned were all great, and even Deirdre was pretty cool to hang around once you got past the walls she had around herself.

Somehow, as time passed, Frank found himself beginning to drift more often than not around Bess whenever the groups got together. There was something about her that drew him in, and he found he rather liked whatever it was. She was kind, always smiling, always so put together. And she was far more capable than she seemed to think of herself. The time she used her make up kit to pull up fingerprints never ceased to amaze him. 

And Bess, it seemed, understood him more than most people did, besides Joe. When Frank just wanted to sit in a room with someone and not have to talk, she more than got it, filling the silence with chatter as he listened, more than willing to just let her ramble. It became very endearing, watching how animated she got, how excited she became when she’d talk about things she liked, or stuff she was looking forward to saving up for to buy at a later date. 

He wasn’t totally sure how or when their easy friendship began to blossom into something more. Maybe it was during the time they were trying to solve a case in a carnival, and she grabbed his hand when they were investigating the haunted house and didn’t let go even after they left. Or maybe it was during that concert, when Bess almost fell off the catwalk and Frank had to dive to catch her before she broke anything.

Or maybe it was the time during their Skype call, watching her as she painted her nails, talking about an event that was arriving to River Heights, and Frank felt like his heart was beginning to swell with so much affection he could hardly stand it.

As it was, it took him over a month to finally work up the courage to ask her out on a date. The dazzling smile she gave in reply was enough to help keep the anxiety at bay when he realized that she must have felt the same way.

It was slow going for the both of them, what with the distance between them, and the cases in between. But for the first time in forever, Frank wanted to make this work. He visited as often as he could, and even flew Bess out to Bayport to visit him, where they spent most of their days at the beach, either swimming together in the ocean or just walking along the coastline talking, getting lunch or dinner whenever they got hungry. Hiking out at night to see the stars, making up constellations as they went. Riding on his motorcycle, with her arms wrapped so tightly around him that he almost felt like he couldn’t breathe, but it was worth it just to look back and see her smiling as she learned to relax.

Frank had no idea just how well this could go for them. But, he figured, as they talked on the phone until one or both of them fell asleep, only time would tell.

Only time.


End file.
